Jack of Diamonds and fiend of hearts
by Elsa Tinason
Summary: Holmes finds a royal secret and a calculating woman to be a rather unforgettable episode during Victoria's reign. *Plaease note, I haven't finished it, and it's part way through the middle of where I'd like to begin, but I just want a serious opinion if


I think I've stolen more than letter from Mr

Mr. Rathbone walked out the door and down the street. Holmes quickly followed him and stayed inconspicuous.Rathbone swung his cane back and forth as he continued. A young street boy ran by and grabbed his briefcase, but without even looking down, Rathbone tripped the boy with his cane and grabbed back his property. Holmes was rather surprised at this action. Rathbone tipped his top hat to every woman he chanced to pass in the street.

"Hum…quite the gentleman, or at least, he pretends to be" thought Holmes to himself.

Rathbone turned down Chancery Lane and walked up the front steps of an elegant townhouse.As he opened the door, a young blonde- haired woman greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Is that his wife?" asked Watson.

"I wasn't aware that he was married, perhaps a lover. But now that we've establish a place of residence, I feel inclined to inform our client of our present knowledge," said Holmes as he popped his clay pipe into his mouth, lit a match, and began puffing dramatically. Watson hurriedly tried to stay in step with his companion as Holmes quickly strode down the street, deep in thought.

As Rathbone entered the door, the woman whom had greeted him, promptly removed the blonde wig and bonnet he'd been wearing, then glanced over at his sister.

"Sherlock Holmes followed me, just as I knew he would, thank you John.I do believe that you fooled Mr. Holmes with your little disguise." Selina smiled, then playfully looking John up and down, she added, "and you do look rather fetching in that wig." She chuckled. John, not really sure if it was a compliment or insult, simply shrugged and walked over to Selina as she gestured for him to help her. Off came the silk black top hat, and then the brown wig that so carefully concealed the long blonde hair pinned tightly underneath. Selina removed the numerous hairpins allowing her golden strands hair to cascade down her back and onto her shoulders.She shook her head violently making sure to account for every pin, and then let out a huge sigh of relief.Then she moved to the face. She pealed the false moustache from her upper lip, and then removed the extra line of eyebrow she had plastered on top of the others.Off was the black frock coat, then the chestnut over jacket. 

"He is after you, but why Selina? What has my dear sister gotten into this time?" smiled John, who never ceased to be amazed by Selina's adventurous lifestyle.

"No time to explain," she said quickly jumping behind the folding screen, and throwing off her clothes, "I have to quickly retrieve that letter from Dr. Watson before his highness gets a hold of it." 

After a few moments of clothes flying out from behind the dresser, and a few rustles of cloth, an old beggar woman stepped from behind the screen, and John quickly handed her the small wicker basket from the table.

"I must say, that is an ingenious disguise!" commented her brother.

"Well, soon we shall see just how ingenious it is if I manage to pull this off" she replied while smudging a black soot-like powder on her face.After looking in the mirror and seeming rather satisfied with her appearance, she tossed her hair in a loose bun, slapped a long gray wig onto her head, and then covered her entire head with a dingy looking brown shawl. As she was heading for the door, she stopped, and quickly rushed back over to the tableremembering to attach her false ears, for after all, the ear is the most easily identifiable feature of a person, and if Holmes could put two and two together, everything would be over.

"Well whatever your mission, I wish you the best of luck, and as always, I caution you to be extremely careful, especially this time Selina, Sherlock Holmes, from what I hear, can be a formidable opponent if you're working on the wrong side," warned John. " I can't understand your life, but may God by with you" Selina smiled, and patted John on the cheek.

"Now, now brother, you know I don't believe in that sort of thing, the concept of God is such an absurd proposition. The thought of a higher being or God is simply preposterous, illogical, and irrational" Then she adjusted her rags slightly, and headed for the back door. 

"You're going straight to go to Hell for that" shouted John as she headed out the door.

"I know" she smiled again, and then dashed down the street to catch up with her quarry.(((or, "If one doesn't believe in a Heaven, one can't very well believe in a Hell, can they?" she laughed.)))))))))))))))))) As she neared Holmes and Watson, she broke into the best artificial limp she could muster without it being over exaggerated, and nearly cried out with joy when she saw how carelessly Watson was dangling the envelope in his left hand.It seemed like this was going to be easier than she anticipated.Selina then set up her ploy, and shifted her gaze downward as if thinking of something, then purposefully bumped into Dr. Watson, knocking him and her to the ground.

"ere now, what's the big idear? Why don't you watch were yer goin', bloody rat bag!" she slurred in a rather expertly mimicked old woman voice. "You made me drop me supper!" she spat as a quarter loaf of bread lay on the street.

"I say mame, it was you who ran into me!" but none the less, being the kindhearted fool that he was, Watson, bent over to try and scoop up the bread and feebly tried to brush it off.As Watson was thus occupied, Selina made a fast switch of the letter at the bottom of her basket with the one Watson had dropped, and then slowly pretended to pick herself up as if in much pain.As Watson realized his attempt to clean off the bread was a hopeless endeavor, he reached into his waistcoat pocket, and pulled out a few loose shillings. 

"Here, go buy yourself a whole new loaf. That one looked overripe anyways." He said extending the coins to the woman and attempting to remedy the current uncomfortable situation. Selina slapped his hand away and made a disgusted face.

"I don'ts take kindly to char' it y Sir, if it's all the same to you, I'll be off on me way" she grumbled in a cockney accent. After picking up her basket, with the letter safely concealed under the gray wool cloth, she launched back into her hobble, and trotted down the street.Watson stooped over to pick up the letter.

"What a foul creature" he said to Holmes, "perhaps I should take better care with this letter" he advised himself, thinking he had almost lost it. Ah, but how little he knew.

She dared not look back until she was certain they must have rounded the corner to head towards the palace.She pulled the wig off her head, and let the shawl fall down around her shoulders. She smiled, and lifted the letter out from under the wool, held it to her lips, and kissed it triumphantly.

"No evidence, no case!" she laughed out loud, then turned and walked back to her brother's. Once again returned to John's house, she slipped out of her beggar costume, and proceeded to dress herself in a silk jade colored evening dress, with lace half sleeves, andgold trim around the bust and waist.John came running down the stairs when he heard the back door shut, and quickly asked, 

"Well?"

Selina only grinned, then held up the letter between her thumb and forefinger as if it were a lighted match.

"Jolly good show!" he congratulated, "but what's in it that's to keep so secretive?"

"Dear brother, I am dreadfully sorry to keep you in the dark, but all will be revealed in time, you MUST try to be patient" John's faced express one of disappointment, but he nodded that he understood.

"Well, I must say, you look ravishing as always, but what's the occasion? Where are you headed now? Surely you can at LEAST tell me that!"

"Why, to meet Mr. Holmes of course!" she laughed, then threw a hat on that matched her dress, and rubbed the black powder from her face revealing the beautiful woman she was.She walked into the street, hailed a cab, and then proceeded to Strand Ave.She disembarked from the cab, and pretended to be inspecting a small flower shop as she carefully watched for Holmes and Watson to be walking down street. Upon spotting them, she pretended to address the shop owner with a comment, but since they were already busy with another customer, the owner paid her no mind.

"Ah Madame, they are indeed spectacular flowers, but I simply haven't the change, I'm sorry". Holmes recognized her at once, from quite a distance away, as she knew he would.

"Good afternoon Miss Selina, this is indeed an unexpected surprise," said Holmes dryly.

"Indeed, but I hope, Mr. Holmes, that it is a pleasant one" she said coyly, as Holmes was taken somewhat aback by her comment.

"If I heard correctly," began Watson completely missing the little interaction between Holmes and Selina, "you were interested in some flowers but couldn't afford to pay for them. Well, I wouldn't mind buying one for you"

"That's very kind Dr. Watson, but really, I couldn't…"

"Nonsense!" assured Watson, "I am not one to pass up an opportunity of buying a flower for a pretty lady. Here, " he said as he grabbed a flower from a large ceramic pot, " a lovely posy" he smiled. Selina graciously accepted the flower, then corrected Watson by saying,"

"Actually, it's an African Violet, but it has a very sweet smell unlike the posy which is relatively sterile in the sense of having an odor. Also, the African Violet is used in preparation for the creation of a medicinal aloe, which makes it an extremely valuable plant" Holmes was watching Selina carefully. This odd woman amused him, and her knowledge was certainly up to, if not possibly on, par with his own. 

"Well, I should, more than likely, be heading back to the palace at this time."

"Ah, Miss Selina, but that, is exactly where we are headed, perhaps we may share a cab?" suggested Watson, as he stepped out to hail a cab.When the cab driver pulled the horses up to the curb, Watson allowed Selina to enter first, followed by Holmes, and then himself.In the cab, Selina carried on as a woman of her 'type' was stereotyped to do, so as not to arouse Holmes suspicions and alert him to her peculiarity. Once they reached the palace, Watson stepped out followed by Holmes. As Selina stood on the coach step, Holmes offered her a hand, and gently lifted her up by the waist to lower her to the sidewalk.When her feet touched the ground, she gazed up into Holmes' eyes, as he carefully seemed to study her.His hands seemed to want to linger around her waist, and she smiled.

"Well, here we are!" stated Watson shattering the moment, and causing Holmes to quickly release Selina, and turn towards his companion.A smirk rippled across Selina's face.

"I think I may have stolen more than letter from Mr. Holmes," she thought. 

"Indeed we are" said Holmes statically.

Now was the test, to see if everything had gone as planned. She took a deep breath, and tried to hide her nervousness.

Once inside the palace, Selina was greeted by his majesty with kiss on the cheek.

"Hello my dear! Where have you been all day?"

"Wandering London" Selina grabbed a crumpet form the table and munched contently, then she plopped herself down in a large regal looking red velvet chair, and stretched her legs out far in front of her.

"So Holmes, you have the letter?" asked the Prince sitting down quickly.

"Of course" Watson pulled the letter from his breast pocket and handed it to the prince.

"I thank you so very much," stated the Prince shaking Watson's hand and sighing deeply.Selina was tempted to laugh, but sustained the impulse.

"We followed Mr. Rathbone, and he is residing with a young woman on Fleet Street," said Holmes. Selina looked up, with sheer curiosity.

"However, I am quick to believe that this is not his true home.He is far to clever to allow such an easy follow" Selina stopped eating for a moment and listened.

"IT could be a way of falsely informing us as to his whereabouts, so he can work elsewhere in peace. The girl we saw may be a cousin, sister, or dear friend.I think I should question her." Selina then resumed eating her crumpet.

"Well, Selina dear, do you care for lunch?" asked the Prince finally acknowledging her.

"I'm not that hungry" she said, gesturing to the crumpet. "anymore." She smiled cocking her head to one side.

"Holmes?"

"No, but thank you"

"Well, I could use a nip or two," stated Watson"

"Splendid!" admonished the prince. Holmes raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I have never known Watson to pass up a meal, especially a free one" chuckled Holmes. Selina laughed with him, staring at his with her deep penetrating eyes.

"Quickly Holmes, this way!" whispered Selina grabbing Sherlock's hand and starting to run.

"Whatever for?" 

"I hear Jack's footsteps!"

"The Ripper?"

"The same. He has a peculiar way of striding down the street shifting back and forth, and that distinct swish of the velvet cape, such an uncommon sound in such places as Whitechapel.But we can't let him recognize you, or it will be all over!" Selina grabbed a hat resting in a near by trash bin. She quickly threw it over her head, pined Holmes to a brick wall, and embraced him, hugging him closely. Holmes was quite surprised, but played along thinking that he understood what she was trying to do. Suddenly a man in a black opera cape passed by. Certain that he was gone; Selina released Holmes, and removed the dusty hat, then returned it to the dustbin.

"So sorry Holmes, but I couldn't allow him to recognize either one of us."

"I see," smiled Holmes. " I could think of much worse places to be on a haunting night than in your arms," he said turning his head before finishing the final sentence, and looking around. Selina stopped for a moment, somewhat puzzled by his last statement. She curiously raised an eyebrow, but seeing she was not going to get his attention any time soon, she rolled her eyes, smiled, and shook her head.


End file.
